Empires Vanquished and Dismantled

During the last two years the Greek scene has given so many great albums that it is quite difficult to highlight which ones have been the best. In any case, one solo-project has caught my attention already after its excellent debut. This project is called as Mystras and it was founded in 2019 by Ayloss, an artist involved in many different bands, being the most well-known, at least for me, Spectral Lore. Mystras debut album 'Castles Conquered and Reclaimed' received quite good reviews as it was an excellent example of black metal with a raw yet melodic nature. It also had a quite particular concept, as the project could be defined as medieval black metal, but focused on the point of view of the working class people of that time and with an anti-imperialistic approach, due to its underlying left-wing ideas.

The debut album left the fans waiting for the next step as it seems that Ayloss has many ideas as he only needed one year to release it sophomore effort entitled 'Empires Vanquished and Dismantled'. Although it was difficult to improve the surprising debut, I can safely say that this new effort is, at least, on the same level with its predecessor. Again, what we can find here is a medieval black metal which musically can be defined as raw black metal, with a combination of straightforward fury, pure rawness, an unquestionable melodic touch, and some delicate and tasteful folk touches here and there which make us travel to ancient times. It is not easy at all to combine all these elements which, at first glance, would have difficulties to cohabit, but Mystras has the talent and ideas to merge them appropriately. The production seems to have made a step forward in terms of balance. The sound is still raw, particularly in the line of the guitars, but they sound a bit cleaner and not so distorted and fuzzy as they sounded in the debut album. I think this is an adequate change, though some may prefer the previous production, even though I am pretty sure that no one will accuse this album of sounding too polished, that’s for sure. As it happened in the debut, 'Empires...' has again a superb work in the guitars, being the shining instrument through the whole album. Just check out the impressive first single of this album, "The Fall Of The Kingdom of Jerusalem", where the listener can appreciate a torrent of riffs through this monumental piece of fourteen minutes, where there is room for brutality, speed, slower sections and lots of melody behind the crude production. The album, as this track, is full of ups and downs in terms of intensity, combining furious pieces as "On the Promises Of Angels" or "To The Builders!", where it is literally impossible not to break your neck headbanging in certain moments, with atmospheric folkish pieces like the delicate and beautiful "Ah Ya Zein", or the more tribal and mysterious "Cheragheh Zolmezalem". The remarkable point here, is that these pieces are excellent and keep the listener in the correct mood to stay interested in the music, something that doesn´t happen many times as I have personally considered the albums that contain many instrumentals, a bit unbalanced and unfocused. Thankfully, this is not the case. 'Empires Vanquished and Dismantled' has a top-class ending with two great tracks, which maintain the extraordinary equilibrium between the fury and the aforementioned melodic touch. I personally highlight the album closer "In The Company of Heretics" which summarizes all the characteristics of the Mystras sound. The initial impetus, with the relentless blast-beats accompanied by the sharp riffing, progresses to a more mid-tempo section which sounds truly epic, thanks to the inclusion of a clean vocal choir in the background and, again, a tasteful guitar work, whose melodies are, once again, superb. The song and the album beautifully end with some very nice acoustic chords, what a great way to close this second chapter in Mystras existence.

For the second time in only one year Mystras has created an impressive piece of black metal, full of interesting elements and great compositions. The combination of rawness and melody is again original and top-notch, making 'Empires Vanquished and Dismantled' an excellent record.

Originally written for "www.thepitofthedamned.blogspot.com."

Greek atmospheric project Spectral Lore has been turning quite a few heads in the last ~15 years, with its highly original, melting-pot brand of black metal continuously pushing the limits of the actual genre. A couple years ago, mastermind Ayloss must have thought he had some creativity in excess, since he started a brand new, parallel journey, under the name Mystras. Maybe because of a newfound love for history, he set Mystras' concepts during the Middle Ages as a means to bring forth his social message, even labeling his creature 'Medieval Black Metal against Empire and Aristocracy'. This year's Empires Vanquished and Dismantled is already the second effort under this moniker.

The beautiful, immersive intro track 'The Nightingale' successfully catapults the listener into a mysterious Byzantine atmosphere, firstly by virtue of the exquisitely oriental violin melodies, then with a real local instrument (the Turkish ney), all elements that will reappear throughout the course of the album. The track itself, like most of the non-metal material, is a cover of an obscure traditional/folk song, already implying the man was dead serious about this concept. The following track 'On the Promises of Angels' is a raw, furious black metal piece, which intentionally builds a harsh contrast (hey, black metal isn't supposed to be pretty, after all).

To be fair, for a first gripe of mine, Empires Vanquished and Dismantled mostly follows this constant alternation of a black metal song and a folk interlude, and I'm not the biggest fan of this move, since I'd rather hear a black metal band just fully diving into a hybrid style like Panopticon or Primordial did. In any case, later highlights like 'To the Builders!' and 'The Favor of the Saints', as well as the solemn closer 'In the Company of Heretics', are perfectly effective and epic, ultimately succeeding where 'On the Promises of Angels' fell a bit short. The obvious eye-catcher is the 14-minute long mammoth 'The Fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem', which goes through a giant buildup for about 8 minutes and then just explodes into an emotional climax. This stuff is simply intense on so many levels.

Mystras retains Spectral Lore's lo-fi aesthetic and sound, which may seem a bit too raw to also handle the additional instruments, to the untrained ear (read: me), but if you're already familiar with SL, here it's actually clearer. I also admired Ayloss' dedication invested into finding someone who could play those original instruments, since they turned out to be absolutely crucial for Empires Vanquished and Dismantled's atmosphere. It's somewhat of a pity that the vocals find themselves in this unfortunate middle ground of being a bit too prominent when layered, and yet not particularly discernible otherwise, especially the narration-like sections. This especially because lyrics are worth acknowledging – there's plenty of evidence that Ayloss didn't want to limit himself to give a detailed, yet aseptic historical narration:

So let it be known then to tyrants
That should you lay your hopes to inequity
Your own gods and saints will abandon you
And the great empire of Rome, whomever it might worship
Will crumble for the final time soon upon its feet ('The Favor of the Saints')

And the slaves of old cried for the masters of tomorrow
For their names were uttered in vain
And their stories carved on the edge of the sword
Spoke on ears which only listened to the promises of angels ('On the Promises of Angels')

Yet, this time, can there be a greater irony and insult that
After the clanging of swords and firing of catapults
Those we thought for decades as barbaric creatures
From the hands of whose we needed to wrest the holy lands
Have let us walk away alive from the walls of Jerusalem? ('The Fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem')

and many other examples I omit for length reasons, so keeping an eye on the booklet while the tracks flow is mandatory for the full experience. Hell, I bet it could be an interesting read even for metal haters...

It goes without saying that every black metal fan in the mood for ethnic influences and experimentations alike, as well as everyone in a constant research for original releases, shouldn't be put off from checking out Empires Vanquished and Dismantled by my apparent tepidity. The review title is my friendly advice to the listener who comes from a background similar to mine, and its length exceeding a full hour implies that it's by no means an easy album, but those already familiar with this kind of sound should throw themselves fully into it. It's always amazing to hear what single ambitious individuals with a grand vision can create on their own, and Ayloss confirms once more he's part of that category.

-review written for the 8th Diamhea Memorial Review Challenge – may you rest in peace, Chris.